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Andre Prokovsky, who choreographed "Anna Karenina," has died.
Published: 8/21/2009 11:00 AM
Last Modified: 8/21/2009 11:00 AM

The New York Times has the obituary here:

Read the story: Andre Prokovsky, Ballet Dancer and Choreographer

Prokovsky connection to Tulsa Ballet goes back decades -- he was a guest artist with the company, back when it was called Tulsa Civic Ballet, in 1965.

Tulsa Ballet presented three of Prokovsky's evening-length ballets over the past few years. The company opened its 40th anniversary season in 1996 with his ballet of "Anna Karenina," which we described as "the best show this company has presented in, oh, about four decades." That performance also was the company debut of ballerina Daniela Buson, whose first entrance made an indelible impression on the opening night audience.

Tulsa Ballet was the first American company to perform Prokovsky's "The Three Musketeers" in 1998, which the company revived in 2003. The most recent piece by Prokovsky that Tulsa Ballet has performed was "The Great Gatsby" in 2008.

When asked during a 2008 Tulsa World interview why he liked to create ballets out of well-known works of literature, Prokovsky said, "You don’t have to explain so much. You can focus more on the characters, on the emotions, on the actions."

In a 1996 interview with the world, Prokovsky expounded on his ambitions as a choreographer:

"One thing I am really interested in is putting a story across through movement,'' he said. "That's why the story ballet has always appealed to me. I enjoy discovering ways to make the narrative line clear as possible, so audiences don't have to spend a half-hour reading the program notes to figure out what is going on on the stage.''


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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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